Namibia is home to an array of wildlife, from ostriches and zebras roaming the gravel plains to penguins and seals chilling in the Atlantic currents. It was the first African country to incorporate protection of the environment into its constitution. With WWF’s help, the government has reinforced this conservation philosophy by empowering its communities with rights to manage and benefit from the country’s wildlife through communal conservancies.

The marine resources of the South Pacific region are threatened by major challenges. WWF believes that sustainable livelihood, development and conservation efforts are most successful when community groups adopt conservation initiatives and make their own management choices.

Indigenous communities control 30 percent of forested land in the Bolivian lowlands. The sustainable management of this land is essential to ensuring a prosperous future for Bolivia, its indigenous people and the environment. In this country and elsewhere, WWF plays a key role in helping community organizations strengthen their ability to promote sustainable forestry.

Among indigenous communities of Western Alaska and Eastern Russia, Chinook and chum salmon are essential elements of nutritional, cultural and economic life. Salmon are also essential to bears, eagles and for nutrient transport from the ocean to the banks of rivers. WWF works with indigenous communities to ensure these salmon remain abundant in the Bering Sea for subsistence, recreational and commercial harvest.

From 2007 to 2010, WWF ran the Community-based Forest Enterprises Project (CBFE) in Cameroon. The program focused on teaching participating communities sustainable forestry techniques and business management skills.